Field of the Invention
This apparatus relates to the collection, transportation and analysis of gas samples which may be required in various scientific, environmental and resource contexts.
Description of the Related Art
The oil and gas industry provides a suggested context in which to examine the need for collection, transportation and analysis of gas samples. In oil and natural gas exploration, drilling, recovery and storage, periodic sampling of recovered gases and fluid are required for subsequent analysis. In the oil industry, “mud” is a colloquial term for a thick chemical composition that is pumped into drills as they penetrate the substrate. This “mud” is returned to the surface and contains gases that are released from the rock as the drill penetrates. Significant data is acquired from the analysis of these gases. In the context of natural gas storage, large underground storage deposits are often chemically tagged for later identification. This apparatus facilitates the recovery of samples from these storage deposits for testing and identification of the chemical tag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,330 to Spencer provided for a sample extraction system with a sampling container and valves. Such a sampling system requires the interruption of the fluid flow as sampling containers are exchanged. Further, extraction of the sample from the sampling container was accomplished by “bleeding” the cylinder, a technique which relies on gravity and is suitable for fluids in a liquid rather than a gaseous state. Currently used in the industry are gas sample bags, which have the obvious problems of fragility, occupying a significant volume when being shipped and the inability to contain gas or fluid under any significant pressure.